Canon's Rebel T5i offers extra features for those looking to climb the DSLR ladder

Photography is a bug many catch, and canít shake. Once you get past the point-and-shoots and want to get more in-depth with photography, you will end up in DSLR territory.

These cameras offer a higher-quality, more professional look to your photos -- and one of the biggest players in the DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) field is Canon and its EOS Rebel lineup of cameras.

In the past I have spent some time with the introductory DSLR Canon offers, the Rebel T3i, but recently I got to experiment some with the next step up -- Canonís Rebel T5i-- and Iím back with a full report on what the results were and whether this particular camera is worth picking up.

LOOKS, DESIGN
Officially a replacement for the discontinued T4i model (though itís similar in almost every way to its predecessor), the T5i is a well-designed camera thatís easy to grip and not overly heavy (20.8 ounces) so it wonít give you a neckache.

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A 3-inch fold-out touchscreeen LCD gives you a clear view of your shot, or if you want to go old-school you can stick your eyeball up to a viewfinder. (Though in my experience, the viewfinder experience was a disappointment and didnít net me any better photos)

The touchscreen also has pinch-to-zoom capability, so after you shoot a photo you can open up the photo in more detail within your viewfinder screen and see how it turned out up close.

A clickwheel lets you choose from a variety of modes (Portrait, Landscape, etc.), depending on what you are shooting, and settings are highly customizable (aperture, shutter speed, white balance, etc.).

If you donít want to think too much about the details, just put it on Intelligent Auto and let the camera do the work for you.

Controls are very easy to learn and become familiar with, due to a logical layout and design.

PHOTO QUALITY
I used my T5i review unit during the holidays and captured some stellar pictures of my family and the winter scenery.

The auto-focus was quick to spring into action so you can capture your shots right away. Add in the fast reaction time (It can boast a 0.1-second shutter lag), and itís clear that quick is one of the words a lot of people will use to describe the T5i.
One feature I love on DSLRs is the ability to capture very-detailed focus on faces in ther foreground while blurring the background.

Not every shot was perfect, of course. But a lot of that is (as the computer HAL-9000 said in ď2001: A Space OdysseyĒ), ďattributable to human errorĒ. Using a DSLR is something you need to get used to and really can get a lot better at as you grow used to shooting with it.

Itís almost a challenge to yourself. What can you explore on the camera to make your photos more interesting and impressive?

The EFS 18-55 mm lens that came with my review camera featured an Autofocus switch that could be turned on, or gave you the option to do your best in Manual Focus mode.

COMPATABILITY
For those who are seriously exploring photography, lens swapping (and camera swapping) can be a regular occurrence. Good news for those folks is that all Canon EF lenses can be swapped out between various Canon cameras, making your options wide-ranging in terms of what youíll be able to shoot.

SPECS, FEATURES
The Rebel T5i features an 18-megapixel CMOS sensor, and it accepts SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards.

Flash is automatic, but can be turned off on the clickwheel as necessary.

There is a timer if you want to delay a shot, and impressive and fast burst shooting at 5 frames per second.

Images can be protected from deletion if youíd like; and unprotected images are just a click away from deletion if you immediately donít like what you shot.

The Rebel T5i can print photos to all PictBridge-compatible printers.

Battery life was decent on the T5i (440 shots), but if youíre an avid shooter it wouldnít hurt to take a spare with you if youíre on the go.

One feature you wonít find here is wireless capability, and other features like GPS that could come along with it. In this wireless age where people want to be connected with all their gadgets, including cameras, thatís something Canon will have to address soon since others in the camera marketplace are starting to do so.

VIDEO
Video is another impressive feature on the T5i, offering crisp visuals and a variety of quality settings.

You can shoot in full-HD 1080p (1920x1080), lower the quality to 1280x720 (HD), or 640x480 (SD). If you use an 8 GB memory card, you could shoot up to 22 minutes of full-HD video on the T5i, or 92 minutes of SD video. Double those numbers with a 16GB card.

VS. T3i
For people who use Canonís T3i DSLR offering, the big question will be whether itís worth the upgrade to a T5i next time theyíre getting a camera. Many of the specs are similar, but there still are differences in some areas, including:

-- The T5i has an ISO range of 100-12800 (expandable to 25600), while the T3i range is 100-6400 (expandable up to 12800).
-- T5i includes the DIGIC 5 Image Processor, while the T3i has a DIGIC 4 Image Processor.
-- T5i shoots up to 5 frames per second, T3i shoots up to 3.7 frames per second.

Other new features for the T5i that you wonít find on the T3i include:
Hybrid CMOS AutoFocus; Special Scene modes; HDMI; Creative Filters; and the touchscreen LCD screen.

What that translates to is that the cameras look pretty similar (outside of the T3iís LCD not having a touchscreen), but the T5i offers slightly better overall image quality than if you go with the T3i, and some bonus features/capabilities you wonít get with the T3i, such as the HDMI connection.

How important are those features? Well, that answer wonít be the same for everyone, and of course the price is a big factor in this decision since the T5i costs a bit more. Whichever way you go, youíre going to get some nice photos -- as the T3i is no slouch.

PRICE, BOTTOM LINE
The T5i camera body will run you $799.99 (plus lens cost; my lens was an additional $249.99), which is a couple hundred dollars jump from the T3i (which starts at $599.99).
While itís higher up the cost ladder, Canonís Rebel T5i is still somewhat affordable in the grand scheme of the DSLR world, and pictures taken on an amateur level can look quite professional.

If youíre someone whoís really into photography and are exploring the DSLR options that go beyond the basic models, the T5i is a user-friendly option that will impress both you and the subjects of your photos with its capabilities.

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Matt Myftiu can be reached at matt.myftiu@oakpress.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattMyftiu.

About the Author

I'm a news, NASCAR and technology junkie. Looking forward to seeing where the news business goes in this digital age. Blogs at realtechtime.blogspot.com or http://beyondthetrack.blogspot.com/. Reach the author at matt.myftiu@oakpress.com
or follow Matt on Twitter: @MattMyftiu.